yess chapter 3. This is a long one guys! And finally some Loki interaction!


We had been riding for over an hour when I finally found the first clue to recent activity. Footsteps, and many of them on a path not usually used by any.

A group of approximately ten had crossed through here, before they split up into two groups of both five members. I decided to first follow the group that was heading in the direction of the castle before backtracking and following the other group.

It was slow and precise work following the traces, luckily for me they did not try to hide their passing. Still I lost them quite a few times. On the hard rocky ground that could be found in some parts, their footprints would disappear and I would have to search until I found their general direction. After an hour of tracking we had reached the backside of the castle, where I could see the stables in the distance and even further the training grounds. They kept heading in that direction, and soon I had found out the spot I was looking for. A watchpost, just in the forest, with a clear view of the training ground.

I dismounted Ameno and tied him to one of the trees to make sure he wouldn't wander. He was trained to stand still but his stable was so close that he might just decide he liked it better to go home than stand around and wait. After all we had been riding since early morning, and it was almost mid-day by now.

I searched the area, but came up empty. Whoever it had been, had been coming here regularly but had not left any clues as to who they were. I found it odd that they would be watching the trainingfield. Nothing ever really happened there except well training. I grabbed my notebook to write down what I had found out, before mounting Ameno to backtrack to where they had split off. If this party had been watching us, for who knows how long, then maybe the other party was the one with the info. Maybe they would lead me somewhere.

When we had almost reached the rendes-vouz point I picked up on the distinct sound of hooves. Quickly I steered Ameno from the path and into the thick bushes. I left him standing there after I dismounted and crouched towards the path. Within minutes a satin, black horse came into view, with on its back a rider covered in black leather with green and gold ornaments. Only one person was possible of riding around like that. Loki.

I sighed before heading back to Ameno. There was no way that the prince was involved in any of this. I did not know what he was doing here, but maybe he was just taking a ride. Instead of taking care of Sleipnir I thought while angrily gritting my teeth. Loki was his mother, and thus he was allowed to ride the beautiful stallion. He never did though, and I had never even seen him visit Sleipnir. It made me sad to think how that must hurt Sleipnir. He was such a sensitive horse, he deserved a better family than he had.

I waited for the sound of hooves to pass before I walked to the path and picked the other than I had just used. This one was very small and hardly visible, which meant it would not be smart to ride. Instead I moved the reins over Amenos head, tied them to my belt and started to walk. I had been concentrating so much on following what little traces they had left, this group had tried not to be followed for sure, that it was up to Ameno to safe me from walking right into the black horse I had seen earlier.

Ameno threw his head back, pulling me by my belt back where I fell inelegantly on my behind.

'Hehe I have never seen anyone fall quite so stupid and yet Quiet Lady.' Loki snickered from atop his horse.

Under his loud laughing I stood up and forced myself to bow. I wanted to leave here as quickly as possible. Sadly there was no way of getting past him, his horse filled the whole path. He saw me looking, and apparently decided that he was not yet ready with irritating me.

'Do you want to go anywhere? You may pass, but only if you ask off course. It is out of question for you to just pass your prince in silence now, isn't it?' He snickered. 'You know Lady Kyra, communication is so very important, don't you think so?'

By this time I was already boiling with anger. He just had to make fun of me every single time we met. It was quite obvious that I would not be able to ask him for anything. I redirected my gaze trying to focus on anything at all to tone down my anger when something caught my eye. Just right of the place I was standing in was a foot print. That on its own was nothing out of the ordinary as a group had just travelled through here, but this particular print was not facing in the direction of the path. It was facing right to the bushes.

Carefully I stepped closer, only now seeing the broken branches. Someone had entered through here, and it had been recent as the branches weren't dried out yet. With a soft tug on the reins I pulled Ameno forward to pass through the bushes.

Remembering who I was leaving behind, I quickly bowed before stomping through the bushes. The small victory I felt as I didn't have to pass the prince felt really very good. But I guess I had to thank him for this discovery too.

'Wait where do you think you are going?!' Loki shouted from the path. I decided the best thing to do was probably ignore him and pushed through. After a few metres the bushes ended and a new path was visible. Much larger than the one I had just left. I quickly mounted Ameno again and trotted up the path. Within seconds though I had company. Company in form of a beautiful black horse, and a stuck-up prince, who admittedly was quite handsome too.

His emerald green eyes scanned the surroundings before he spoke up.

'I did not know this path existed.'

That surprised me. He knew the forest better than any I knew. If he did not know about this path, that must mean someone really wanted to keep it a secret. With a sigh I understood he would have to help me. I knew nothing of most of the forest as I usually stuck to the direct surroundings of my house. The prince however was known to roam these forests for years. It surprised me he had never discovered the path, but as I looked to the thick brushes around the path it did not surprise me. This was well hidden from all sort of eyes. Even from the green ones of the prince.

With a sigh I grabbed the small notebook I always carried and quickly scribbled down my question before handing it to him.

'I might not know the path itself, but I am familiar with these woods. And as I am not blind I can see in which direction it stretches.' Loki answered before tossing the book back.

'It hardly is necessary for you to write down those things, as I am your superior you should only listen from now on. Something I believe even you are able off. Especially as the only female who can't blabber around.' He snickered before signalling his horse to walk forward.

'What? You are not even going to tell me I am wrong? You know the silent agree don't you.' He called back at me.

Deciding it was not smart to start a fight with him, I patted Ameno on the neck before following him. This might become very interesting.

The path continued throught the forest until it almost reached the nearby village. Circling just around the houses, still hidden by the thick brush, it was probably the best path I had ever seen for someone wishing to remain hidden. Once completely circled around the village the path stopped at a thick brush, where upon closer inspection people had been coming through. We did the same, and ended up on one of the main roads to the fields.

Tracking here would be of no help, as hundreds of people came through here every day, and the prince seemed to know it.

'Whoever made this path certainly knew what he was doing. Once they reached here, they can easily dissapear without worrying of any tracks they left behind. There would be no way to find out where they were going, if someone was following them.'

He scrunched his brow in thought. I wondered if this was what he was like when serious. He hadn't spoken a single word to me, had not made a single joke about my missing voice. I liked this part of him, the part that did not feel the need to belittle me and joke about me. This was a part of the Prince I had never seen before and I doubted many have.

He sighed before turning his horse towards the castle. 'We should head back lady Kyra.' He looked towards me and I looked into his large, green eyes. I couldn't remember the last time I had looked in his eyes and saw them really look at me. They seemed so sincere, so different than the person they belonged to.

I nodded and signed Ameno to walk along. We rode in silence next to each other for quite some while before he spoke up.

'It seems I own you an apology my Lady.' Loki suddenly spoke up. Looking at me from the corners of his eyes. I shot him a questioning look.

'My brother made clear my behaviour of yesterday was… not proper. It seems that I have allowed my ego to take judgement over something I shouldn't have, and for that I apologize.'

By then my mouth was probably so far open in shock that I looked like the stupidest person alive. I shook my head in order to shake the shock before I bowed deeply to him. Not the sarcastic bows I usually gave him but the bow he deserved for his behaviour right now. It had to be difficult to admit mistake, and I was thankful he was. It seemde their was a side to the prince I had never seen before. A side I quite liked.

We rode on in a comfortable silence for a while. We were getting closer to the castle, when I suddenly heard a loud whinny followed by the thundering sound of eight hooves slamming in the ground. Sleipnir came slipping around the corner in full speed, and managed to stop just in front of us.

A surprised sound escaped me at the same thing loki shouted: 'Sleepy? What are you doing here!'

He jumped from his horse and ran towards the grey stallion that was dancing around in front of us.

'What are you doing here young man! You shouldn't run away it is dangerous. I father hears of this he will certainly lock you up!' Loki hugged Sleipnir around his large neck and burried his face in his long mane. Sleipnir bowed his head and softly rubbed with his lips over Loki's back.

I felt like I was invading a very private moment but I was curious too. I had never seen Loki anywhere near his son. Even seen him tell the stable hands to do their work and not bother him. The affection he was showing now stood so strong against that.

'Lady Kyra. Do you have any idea why he is not in his stable?' Loki spoke up, still strocking Sleipnir.

I quickly grabbed my notebook, writing: I put him in the pasture this morning. I was supposed to put him back when I returned. Maybe he jumped the fence?

Handing the notebook to Loki he grunted before grabbing Sleipnir at both sides of his face. The horse stared back at him, completely focused and looking a bit guilty.

'Listen to me Sleepy. We are going to bring you back to the pasture and you are going back in their. You will stay their until Kyra comes to get you do you understand? We can only hope no one has noticed you have left, or you will have to face Odin's wratch.'

He sighed before turning to me. 'Could you grab my horse?' I nodded and grabbed the reins of the black horse he had been riding before turning back to see Loki sit on top of Sleipnir. That surprised me even more. If someone saw him, all hel would broke loose, but when I saw his green-gold magic change Sleipnir into a normal horse I understood. He was trying to hide Sleipnir.

We galloped back to the castle before taking a smaller path that ran next to the pastures. It was a path used to guard the castle and normal civillians weren't allowed on it. The only ones seeing us here would be guards.

'Which pasture was he in Kyra?' Loki shouted over the whipping wind. I blushed by his use of my front name, before pointing towards the pasture on the far end. It was the largest of them all running from the stables all the way to the end.

'We might be in luck. That pasture is so big that it won't be that strange to not see him for some time.'

We skidded to a halt at the end of the pasture. So far from the stables that we wouldn't be visible. Loki dropped his magic and slid towards the ground. He hugged the large horse one last time.

'Now go back Sleepy. I promise to you that I will visit tonight.'

Sleipnir whinnied loudly before jumping the gate with ease. Loki climbed back on his horse and steered towards the stables, not once looking back at Sleipnir who was whinnying loudly but he could not fool me. I could see his back was as riggid as a stone. He was sad, probably because he had to leave Sleipnir like this, but he was not willing to show it.

I quickly caught up with him and we rode in silence towards the stables. We were greeted by Rayar who took Loki's horse.

'Lady Kyra could you bring Sleipnir back in? We fear he might jump a fence with the way he has been acting these last few minutes.'

I was about to nod when Loki spoke up. 'I will retrieve Sleipnir from his pasture.' He walked away with long strides. I knew that Sleipnir would probably not let himself be caught that easily, so I quickly unsaddled Ameno and rubbed him down. I had just put him in his stall when a familliar sound was heard. The gate of an eight legged horse was probably the weirdest thing I had ever heard, and I knew Sleipnir was coming in.

Rayar came dashing in, quickly opening up the stable across the hall for Sleipnir. It had been scrubbed clean, and I was sure Sleipnir would appreciate that.

Loki lead him into his stall, took his halter off and padded him on the neck. He then exited the stable and locked the doors before walking towards me. Rayar gave me a strange look before walking towards Loki's steed at the beginning of the stable. He probably still needed to rub the black stallion down.

I turned my head towards Loki when I suddenly felt a knife bite in my neck. Loki looked down on me with a vicious anger in his eyes. I could see fear their too, and was soon able to place it when he hissed to me: 'If you speak one word of Sleepy's escape today, or that I have handled him you will loose more than just your voice.'

After that he quickly dissapeared from the stables. Leaving me with only my thoughts. I wondered why he would be so afraid of anyone finding out he handled Sleipnir. I understood the part about not telling Sleipnir jumped the fence but Sleipnir was his son, surely he would be able to love him?

I locked Ameno's stable. Ready to report back before heading home. I patted Ameno goodnight and started walking towards the door, when a soft whinny had me turning around. Sleipnir was standing in his stable, looking very sad, emotions swirling in his dark eyes. Eyes that suddenly reminded me of green ones, with as much dept as these had. And maybe with as much pain as these had.

And as I walked towards the guards quarters, and later home, those eyes kept following me through the night.